clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Guess Who Led The NFL In Touchdown Passes Off Play-Action In 2017?

The first two guesses don’t count.

Houston Texans v Seattle Seahawks
I’m ready to see this again.
Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

Deshaun Watson played in six and a half games as a rookie in 2017. In those games, he managed to throw nineteen (19!) touchdown passes. Extrapolated over a full season, by my count, DW4 would have thrown for 1,982 TDs had he not suffered a season-ending knee injury. Lots to look forward to for Texans fans if the franchise quarterback can stay on the field in 2018, friends.

Anyway, a big part of Watson’s success last year was due to play-action. As PFF noted below, Watson managed to lead the league in play-action touchdown passes despite playing less than half a season.

For all of the talk about a different offensive scheme in Houston this season, you have to think that Bill O’Brien’s not about to fix something that’s not broken. Get ready for a heaping dose of more play-action once September arrives.